I Love Dippy
I Love Dippy Appeal
Light up our dinosaur and make it roar: Natural History Museum launches appeal to redevelop Central Hall
The buck-toothed grin of Natural History Museum’s much-loved Diplodocus, affectionately known as Dippy, welcomes over 4 million people into the Museum each year. Dippy is a top celebrity dinosaur and global star and is even on Twitter!
For the next 12 months, visitors can light up the dinosaur and make it roar as part of a new appeal to redevelop the iconic Central Hall for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The I Love Dippy appeal will fund a redesign that will bring the treasures of our collections out from behind the scenes for new displays in the alcoves surrounding Dippy and on the balconies on the first floor. This redesign will also reveal architectural features in Central Hall which have been hidden until now. The appeal aims to raise £8.5 million over the next 12 months and the redevelopment it is expected to be completed in 2014.
“The Central Hall has changed a lot in the 130 years since the Museum first opened in 1881, but now we are raising money to fund our most ambitious plans yet, ” said Dr Michael Dixon, Director of the Natural History Museum. “We plan to create an even more inspirational space, giving a sneak preview of the many wonders that lie ahead on a visitor’s journey through our galleries.”
Fans of the Museum can light up Dippy the Diplodocus on their next visit througha £3 donation made by texting LOVE to 70007 or at a special donation kiosk under Dippy’s tail. They can also join the likes of Moby, Ricky Gervais, Jerry Hall and Sir David Attenborough in saying why they love Dippy and sharing their memories of the Museum in videos and photos uploaded to the Museum’s Facebook page.
Top ten facts about Dippy the Diplodocus
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The Diplodocus cast has 292 bones, including over 70 tail vertebrae and 60 finger and toe bones in each of the hands and feet
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Diplodocus means ‘double-beamed’ and refers to the structure of the small chevron bones running along the underside of the tail, which is different from other reptiles.
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Diplodocus lived 150 million years ago in the Late Jurassic Period, alongside dinosaurs such as the fellow plant-eater Brachiosaurus and the predator Allosaurus.
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At 26 metres long, it’s one of the longest land animals ever to walk the earth.
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It was once believed that Diplodocus was a lake- or swamp-dweller that used its long neck as a snorkel to allow breathing while submerged. Palaeontologists now consider the dinosaur to have been much more active, perhaps roaming vast distances in search of vegetation.
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The Diplodocus cast was donated to the Museum by the Carnegie Museum in America after King Edward VII requested a copy of the newly discovered dinosaur.
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Dippy represents not one Diplodocus, but five different skeletons and was shipped to England in 36 crates.
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Dippy has been at the Museum since 1905 and has been in Central Hall for 30 years.
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The dinosaur’s tail was lifted from the ground in 1993 after research revealed that Diplodocus tails would have been raised high to balance weight of the neck.
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There is much debate of the pronunciation of ‘Diplodocus’ among our visitors. Our palaeontologists will tell you the correct way to say it is ‘dip-low-dock-us’ with the emphasis on on the ‘dip and ‘dock’.
To take part in the appeal, see
www.nhm.ac.uk/facebook/dippy or www.youtube.com/user/naturalhistorymuseum
Follow Dippy on Twitter @NHM_Dippy
The Natural History Museum is a world-leading science research centre and also winner of Visit London’s 2010 Evening Standard’s Peoples Choice Best London for Free Experience Awardand Best Family Fun Award. Through its collections and scientific expertise the Museum is helping to conserve the extraordinary richness and diversity of the natural world with groundbreaking projects in more than 70 countries.
Visitor Info:
Entry is free (there is a charge for temporary exhibitions)….
Monday to Sunday 10:00 17:50
The Museum is open every day except 24-26 December. Last admission is at 17:30.
Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 5BD, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5000